Robert Wood Johnson Foundation CEO to step down

Risa Lavizzo-Mourney, MD, MBA, will step down as president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) once a successor can be found.

"It has been a true pleasure and honor to work alongside a visionary like Risa,” said James Marks, MD, MPH, executive vice president of RWJF in a news release. “She will be greatly missed but will leave us a tremendous legacy.”

Lavizzo-Mourney is the first woman and first African American to lead the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted to healthcare, a position she has held since 2003. She has been named eight times to the Forbes list of most powerful women in the world.

During her tenure, Lavizzo-Mourney spearheaded the foundation’s initiative to reverse the nation’s childhood obesity epidemic. The foundation committed $500 million to health initiatives in 2007 and another $500 million in 2015.

She has also supported programs to help people get health insurance, assist states in implementing the Affordable Care Act, simplify the Children’s Health Insurance Program, redesigned the Foundation’s leadership programs and established the Commission to Build a Healthier America.

Nicole Stempak

Nicole was Senior Editor at I Advance Senior Care and Long Term Living Magazine 2015-2017. She has a Journalism degree from Kent State University and is finalizing a master’s degree in Information Architecture and Management. She has extensive studies in the digital user experience and in branding online media. She has worked as an editor and writer for various B2B publications, including Business Finance.